Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson, born September 10, 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is a motion picture actor, director and producer. He is a director and cast member of The Wire. He directed the series pilot "The Target" and other episodes before joining the starring cast as Gus Haynes in the fifth season. He had also worked with The Wire creator David Simon on his earlier series Homicide: Life on the Street playing Detective Meldrick Lewis and directing episodes. He is sometimes credited as "Clark 'Slappy' Jackson", "Clarque Johnson", and "J. Clark Johnson." Biography Early years Johnson was born in September 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and spent much of his life in Canada, including studying at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. He began doing feature film work in 1981, landing roles in the movies Killing 'em Softly, Colors, Wild Thing, Adventures in Babysitting, and Nowhere to Hide. He also acted in a number of television shows early in his career, including Night Heat and Hot Shots. Homicide: Life on the Street In 1993, Johnson became part of the original starring cast of the television series Homicide: Life on the Street playing Detective Meldrick Lewis for all seven seasons and the reunion movie, as well as directing several episodes. Though the ensemble nature of the show meant that Johnson always filled an important role in the series, he became an even larger presence after his character was paired with a new partner, Mike Kellerman (played by Reed Diamond). The two detectives became the central figures in a plot line surrounding a Baltimore drug lord whose financial resources and front as a devoted community servant made it nearly impossible for the police department to bring him up on charges. Johnson made the transition to director with the season four episode "Map of the Heart". He also directed "Betrayal", "Valentine's Day", "Full Court Press" and "The Twenty Percent Solution". Author of the novel Homicide was based upon, teleplay writer and producer David Simon commented that the transition from actor to director was made easy by Johnson's familiarity with the show and that he was one of the better directors in terms of keeping the tone of the show consistent. The Wire Johnson also worked on The Wire, reuniting him with Simon. For The Wire Johnson directed both the show's pilot and second episode ("The Target" and "The Detail") and finale. He appeared as a series regular in the fifth and final season playing Gus Haynes. Directing Johnson's other directing credits include the big-screen releases The Sentinel (2006) and S.W.A.T. (2003), and episodes of Third Watch and The Shield. He helmed and acted in the HBO original production Boycott (2001). He also directed the first episodes of the first and second seasons of the 2005 series Sleeper Cell. Personal life Johnson is the brother of jazz singer Molly Johnson and actress and singer Taborah Johnson. Filmography Actor *''The Wire'' TV series as Gus Haynes (2008) *''Homicide: The Movie'' as Meldrick Lewis (2000) *''Homicide: Life on the Street'' TV series as Meldrick Lewis (1993-1999) Director *''The Wire'' TV series (2002-2008) **Episode 1.01 "The Target" (2002) **Episode 1.02 "The Detail" (2002) **Episode 5.10 "–30–" (2008) *''Sleeper Cell'' TV series (2005-2006) **Episode "Al-Faitha" (2005) **Episode "Al-Bagara" (2006) *''The Sentinel'' (2006) *''N.Y.-70'' (2005) *''The Jury'' (2004) **"Lamentation on the Reservation" (2004) *''The Shield'' TV series (2002-2004) **Episode "Pilot" (2002) **Episode "The Spread" (2002) **Episode "Blowback" (2002) **Episode "Playing Tight" (2004) **Episode "Blood and Water" (2004) *''The Secret Service'' (2004) *''S.W.A.T.'' (2003) *''Boycott'' (2001) *''NYPD Blue'' TV series (2000) **Episode "Lucky Luciano" (2000) *''The West Wing'' TV series (2000) **Episode "Six Meetings Before Lunch" (2000) *''The Beat'' TV series (2000) *''Third Watch'' TV series (2000) **Episode "Nature or Nurture?" (2000) *''City of Angels'' TV series (2000) *''The City'' TV series (2000) *''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' TV series (1999) **Episode "Sophomore Jinx" (1999) *''Homicide: Life on the Street'' TV series (1996-1998) **Episode "Map of the Heart" (1996) **Episode "Betrayal" (1997) **Episode "Valentine's Day" (1997) **Episode "Betrayal" (1998) **Episode "Map of the Heart" (1998) *''Welcome to Paradox'' TV series (1998) *''La Femme Nikita'' TV series (1998) *''Fast Track'' TV series (1997) Credits Director Star References External links * * Clark Johnson at Wikipedia * 2008 interview on Fresh Air Category:Cast Category:Starring Cast Category:Actors Category:Directors